Thoughts of the Living
The Nord Army had left the battlefield after the former knights of the Anti-Hero Alliance gave up their lives to stop the enemy. Even so, there was no way they could completely stop a large army of nearly 200,000 troops, and they were heavily pursued.
The united front forces also wanted to somehow stop the Nord Army here. If they escaped into the Nord Empire's main territory, they knew it would be troublesome.
After all, the territory of the Nord Empire is the stronghold of the demons. No one wants an all-out war with the demons by invading enemy territory. The original goal of a major power is to conquer the continent, not to exterminate the demons. The Nord Empire is a frontier country on the continent that has nothing to gain from the war, and it doesn't matter as long as they stay quiet.
The united front army is deploying its entire force widely to confirm whether Ren, the key figure in the Nord Empire, is alive or dead, and to eliminate him if he is still alive. The other Northern Alliance forces are ignored. Now that the betrayal is clear, there is no way the North can come together again. Even if that were possible, it would only be possible with Ren. If they kill Ren, there will be no problem.
The search is heading towards the former Saint Miriam Kingdom territory. Since the final destination of the Nord Empire's retreat is sure to be their own country, it is a way of narrowing down the net toward there.
There is an army camped at night in the rear of the pursuing army. It is the Nord Army disguised as a rear support unit of the united front Force.
"Hey, is Luna-chan okay?"
Shizuku says to Ren, worried about Luna.
The spirit magic she used when retreating was something she overdid. As the spirit of the moon, Luna's true power is best at night, but it was daytime when they retreated. It was also used while Ren, one of the sources of Luna's power, was in a weakened state, so Luna herself became quite weak.
"Hey, are you listening?"
Even if she asked, Ren didn't reply at all. Shizuku once again called out to Ren.
"Hey, Ren."
After regaining consciousness, Ren remained silent. Because of that, the whole army is enveloped in a heavy atmosphere. It can't be helped that the soldiers are depressed after the defeat, but it can't be helped if Ren, who leads it, is in such a state.
"Hey, Ren! Pull yourself together!"
Thinking that, Shizuku continued to call out to Ren.
"……Shut up."
These were the words finally spoken by Ren.
"What do you mean by shut up? Why can't you be nice to me?"
Shizuku also feels different than usual. She was irritated by Ren's words.
"What do you mean by be nice to you? Do you want to be held by me at a time like this?"
"It's not like that, is it? This is still a battlefield."
"So what? You want to do it anywhere, right? There are a lot of people here. Shall we show everyone your perversity?"
This is not the usual treatment. He is just venting his frustration. Shizuku knows that.
"......Yes, you're right. You can have a look."
"Huh?"
Shizuku's reaction was not the usual either. Knowing that, Ren was surprised.
"In exchange, Ren will also look at me."
"……What do you mean?"
"Look at me properly. Not only me! Look at everyone!"
"…………"
"Everyone here is prepared to die at any time for Ren’s sake! And yet! It's so sad that Ren won't believe us until after we are dead!"
Shizuku complains in tears. She understands Ren's feelings of mourning for the dead. However, there are many living people who believe in Ren and rely on him. Shizuku wants Ren to take care of them. She wants him to live up to their trust.
"……I."
Ren looks at Shizuku and the people around him. People who look like they are about to cry. People who are showing embarrassed expressions. People who look at Ren with expectant eyes. People with various expressions were staring at Ren.
Ren noticed their expressions for the first time when Shizuku told him. He realized that he had not been looking at them.
"……I understand."
"You understood!?"
Shizuku is happy to hear Ren's words.
"Yeah, I get it, stick your hand in that tree and stick your butt out."
"Eh……?"
"You want me to look at you, right? I'll take a good look at you. Your embarrassing appearance."
"N-no, it's not that."
"Come on, hurry up. Well, you don't have to stand up."
Ignoring Shizuku's confusion, Ren pulls Shizuku's body closer and puts his hands on her chest.
"H-hey, Ren. No."
"Let everyone see it properly."
Ren reaches further down Shizuku's lower body and unbuttons her pants.
"N-no. I-it's embarrassing."
"It's okay. Everyone is expecting it."
"Don't expect it! Please don't look! Don't ask any questions!"
Deciding that Ren is unlikely to stop, Shizuku decides to appeal to the others not to look. This quickness of giving up is always the case. It was made so by Ren, though.
"...If you want to see it, why don't you come out instead of hiding in such a place?"
The words were suddenly spoken by Ren. The surrounding soldiers who noticed the meaning of that hurriedly pulled out their swords and stood up.
"I have no interest in spying on other people’s affairs. Don't worry about me, but do as you please, Ren-dono."
It was Lang of the Izrim Magic Kingdom who appeared after saying this.
"Then what do you want?"
She shouldn't have come to see Ren and Shizuku's act. Lang of the Izrim Magic Kingdom, part of the united front army. The usual thinking would be to capture or kill Ren, but Ren doesn't see it that way.
"I'm at a loss. I thought you would be more depressed."
"To be honest, I just got better."
Hearing this, Shizuku smiles proudly, as if it were thanks to her. Ren is glaring at Shizuku. He is not really angry, but rather embarrassed. Shizuku's expression became brighter as she realized this.
"Yeah. It's unlucky."
"Unlucky?"
"I thought it would be a great opportunity to gain Ren-dono’s trust, so I came here… do you need my support?”
By helping him out of their difficult situation, she wants to gain Ren's trust. That is Lang's goal. In the eyes of the united front force, it is an act of betrayal.
"It depends on what it is. If it's to help us escape, then it's unnecessary. The fight is far from over."
But Ren didn't look surprised at the betrayal and continued.
"Let me help you..."
"I said it depends on what it is. As expected, it's hard to keep fighting with a large army of 200,000. So, can you help me disperse it?"
"That is……?"
"It looks like you’re doing a lot of things. So much so that we don't have to touch them."
"...Did you know? No, of course, you know."
In information warfare, the Nord Empire has an overwhelming advantage over other nations. Lang understood that this power was extended to her too.
"I was a little arrogant. Not everything will go my way. From here on out, I won't think about controlling it. The last survivor in the chaos wins."
"...I see. Then let me help you with that."
"Yeah, I'm going to take the first step. What about contacting the scattered units?"
The next question is not directed at Lang.
"No problem"
The answer was from a man who suddenly emerged from the darkness of the night. He's a vampire.
"Do you know the location of the main camp of the Luine kingdom?"
"Of course, I know where it is."
"Then tomorrow night. Tell them to assemble in the rear at the first hour of the day. If not, head straight for the border fortress."
"I understand."
――The next day at midnight. The main camp of the Luine Kingdom was attacked at night. By deploying the entire army widely to search for the Nord Army, it is a form of taking advantage of the weak defense. It was also due to the army approaching silently from behind.
By the time the main camp of the Luine Kingdom noticed the night attack and prepared to intercept it, the Nord Army had fled. Leaving behind the corpse of King Luine.
◇◇◇
It was not only the Nord Army that was hiding from the net of the united front army's search. The surviving Demon King's forces were also scattered in various locations, hiding so as not to be discovered by them.
One of them was a cave in the eastern mountains of the former territory of the United Kingdom of Mercenary. Deep in the cave, Rin stared at Baat in front of her with fiery red eyes.
"Princess. Please don't be so angry."
"If you think so, remove these restraints."
Rin's hands and feet are fitted with shackles. The chains extending from the shackles extend to the collar around Rin's neck. It was humiliating for Rin.
"I can take it off, but can you promise me that you will not run away?"
"……I promise"
"That's a lie. You, a vampire, are willing to lie. Is that human that important to you?"
Vampires are absolute in their promises. Rin is about to destroy an important thing for the vampires. Rather than her pride as a vampire, her desire to not become a burden on Ren is stronger.
"Then kill me."
"I can't do that. The princess is an important person."
"...As a hostage."
"And that's not all. Princess is a royalty."
Rin is a member of the Vampire royal family. She is not someone that Baat can treat poorly. However, Baat now seeks Rin's value as a hostage rather than her position.
"Traitor."
"I object to that. I obeyed Sed, who is royalty. It was not treachery."
"You betrayed my father, the king."
"Princess. I don't want to hear that from the Princess. You must have been repulsed by the late king's ideas. Isn't that why you left the tribe?"
"…………"
Baat's words are true. Rin also rebelled against the conservative ways of her father, or rather the Vampires as a whole, and left the tribe because she wanted to change something. Just like her brother Sed and Baat and others who accompanied Sed.
"What was unexpected was that the king decided to serve the king of the humans. It's a decision that fundamentally changes the way the Vampires are."
The vampires spent hundreds of years without changing anything. His decision to serve Ren came as a surprise to Baat, who was dissatisfied with it.
"That's wrong."
"Wrong?"
"Father didn't do anything groundbreaking. He just did what he was supposed to do. If you don't understand that, you aren't a vampire."
"……What do you mean?"
Baat's face flashed with anger. Being denied being a vampire is the same as being denied existence. Baat thinks so.
"My brother, no, that man tried to become a demon king who rules over many races. There's no way he could do that."
"Why do you think so?"
"Can you serve another race?"
"……No."
The more proud he is as a Vampire, the more unacceptable it is to follow other races.
"People of other races are the same. Those who have a strong sense of equality, no, they can't be loyal to those who think they are superior to other races."
And it's the same with other demons. That is why the demons are not united.
"Then why did you recognize the Nord Emperor?"
"Because Ren-sama is the person who has the role of uniting the demons. That's why Ren-sama came to this world."
"...The title of [Demon King's Vessel]. Is that what you mean?"
"You knew it, and you defied him."
[Demon King's Vessel] is the person to whom the vampire should pledge allegiance. Rin was surprised to learn that Baat had defied Ren even though he knew about it. But this is just a misunderstanding.
"Sed-sama has obtained the demon sword. The one recognized by the demon sword is the Demon King. Isn't that right?"
Baat merely followed what he knew. Baat doesn't know what the title of [Demon King's Vessel] means.
"I don't know about that. But the demon king is dead. Is that what a demon king is?"
And it's the same with Rin. She only knows what she hears from her father.
"I don't know either. But if I can get the demon sword, I might know."
"...Is that your purpose?"
"Yes. The demon sword is probably in the hands of the Nord emperor. My goal is to get it back."
The demon sword that the demon king had was not left on the battlefield. Ren has been pierced through the body by that demon sword so he must have it. Baat thinks so.
"The Demon King is dead... No, are you trying to become the Demon King yourself?"
"I'm not trying to be. But if the demon sword recognizes me, I'm the demon king."
Trying to become a demon king. Baat had big ambitions, even as he obeyed Sed.
"...That's why you're taking me hostage."
"Even if you're exchanged for the demon sword, it's meaningless if he doesn't want to get you back."
"I..."
"No. The Nord emperor will exchange the sword if it means getting the princess back. There is just one problem."
"Problem?"
"The Nord Emperor will not forgive me. I know he is that kind of man, and he will not forgive me for taking the princess away from him."
He shows no mercy to his enemies. Baat has already found out that Ren is that kind of person. Even if he obtained the demon sword, he did not want a situation where his life would be in danger. By defeating the Demon King, Baat has erased his carelessness towards Ren.
"Foolish man"
Rin looks amazed at Baat. Just as Baat said, Ren wouldn't allow it. Rin believes that it is not his arrogance to think so.
"What do you think I should do? Can the princess persuade him?"
"No matter what I say, it's impossible. If you want Ren-sama to forgive you, you can sincerely apologize and serve him wholeheartedly."
"There's no guarantee I'll be forgiven for that. And I have no reason to be loyal to the Nord Emperor."
"There is a reason. To survive."
"...The Nord emperor may die before that, you know?"
Ren is being chased by 200,000 of the united front army. Baat believes it will not be easy to escape from it.
"Ren-sama won't die. The power he showed on the battlefield is just a small part. You don't understand that, even people from other countries."
Ren still has cards in his hand. Not all of it, but Rin knows it.
"I see... then the princess will have to stay like this until I find out."
Baat is cautious about negotiating with Ren. He believes that failure is unforgivable. Now that Sed, who called himself the demon king, is dead, the unity of the demons that followed him is weakening. There is even a possibility that they will all switch to Ren's side at once.
That is not what Baat wants. Until he succeeds in his negotiations with Ren and obtains the demon sword, he cannot let go of the demons that will serve him. Even if the word [let go] is a selfish idea on Baat's part.
The war has entered a new phase. From now on, warfare in the true sense of the word will begin. Chaos will cover the continent.
Pelo menos ela não morreu...
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